Number Three Backgrounder August 21, 2015 Tremendous Potential for NorCal Rail: San Joaquins, ACE & Dumbarton Rail

Effective July 1, 2015, Caltrans handed over to the San trade. Paralleling one of the most congested highways Joaquin Joint Powers Authority (JPA) the oversight in Northern , improving Altamont Corridor of ’s San Joaquins. The JPA hired the San rail service would improve mobility for residents that Joaquin Regional Rail Commission (SJRRC), operator would otherwise be stuck in traffic. of the Altamont Commuter Express (ACE), to operate the service. Now that the management of both ACE A New San Joaquin Service Delivery Plan and the San Joaquins is under the same roof, there For the San Joaquins, improvement means more are unprecedented opportunities for major economies frequency between Stockton and the Bay Area, as and passenger benefits that were not possible with well as increasing connections between Stockton and separate operations. the Sacramento region. Increasing service to/from the Bay Area from the current four to ACE Planning six daily round trips should be first priority. The two The $1 billion+ ACEforward plan is proposed as the existing San Joaquin round trips serving Sacramento first major improvement project, focusing on new perform poorly and provide minimal service. These ACE services to Stanislaus and Merced Counties via trips should be rerouted to Emeryville and Oakland a new exclusive passenger track along the Union instead. This would plug crucial gaps in the existing Pacific mainline that parallels State Highway 99. In timetable, such as the lack of a late morning arrival TRAC’s view, the potential ridership gains that can and mid-afternoon departure. This change would be achieved by upgrading existing services are so significantly increase San Joaquin patronage, which is extraordinary that they should come first. much stronger from the Bay Area than Sacramento. TRAC believes ACE’s first priority should be to ACE should purchase several Diesel Multiple Units speed up existing slow service over the Altamont (DMUs) to provide Stockton-Sacramento shuttle Pass. We continue to enthusiastically support the service, perhaps as an add-on to the trainsets recently intent of the now-sidelined Altamont Corridor Rail ordered by TEX Rail (a new commuter line running Project* to create a modern new regional rail service. from downtown Fort Worth to the Dallas-Fort Worth A fundable project can be developed by identifying Airport). This DMU design has been modified for use incremental improvements that each benefit the in the United States and now meets Federal Railroad traveling public at an early date. These improvements Administration (FRA) crash standards. Shared (see below) over time will add up to a faster, more operation is thus feasible and acceptable on the Union direct, primarily passenger-only route, especially between Tracy and Fremont. They should be accompanied by the judicious addition of additional service, converting ACE from a peak-hour-only line to an all-day, 7-days per week regional rail service. Service to Silicon Valley for San Joaquin Valley passengers can be accomplished by shifting San Joaquin trains to the ACE route between Stockton and Fremont. (see below.) The Altamont Corridor is central to shifting substantial numbers of commuters to transit, benefiting not only area residents, but the entire state’s GHG emissions. It is a perfect candidate for Transit and Intercity Rail Figure 1. Conceptual illustration of lightweight European DMU ordered by Capital Program funds from cap and TEX Rail, Fort Worth, TX. Now that this and similar FRA-approved DMUs are available in the U.S., exciting new service possibilites have emerged. Pacific and Burlington Northern Santa Fe freight routes how the ACE route is far better matched to projected currently used by the San Joaquins and ACE trains. travel demand than the San Joaquin’s current route. This DMU design is relatively fuel efficient, obtaining about triple the 0.4-0.5 mpg of locomotive-hauled Putting the trains from both services on the same trains. tracks will substantially expand the availability of service. This would effectively convert ACE to an all- DMUs could also provide economical new frequencies day transit provider, a long-time goal. The resulting on the ACE route, with costs much lower than convenient schedule would attract large numbers of locomotive-hauled trains (e.g., a savings of at least passengers away from their cars, thereby aiding the $12.00 per train-mile according to a study of potential State’s climate program. DMU service in Santa Cruz County). DMUs are well-suited for when demand doesn’t justify long If track capacity can be arranged, these synergies locomotive-hauled trains, as well as providing new could be achieved in the near-term. San Joaquin weekend service at an affordable price. While in the trains from Bakersfield could pull into the Stockton short term, this would end one-seat rides to and from ACE platform, then change directions to head west Sacramento, the utility of the increased frequency to the Tri-Valley and . Using a 5-minute stop (going from two to six daily round trips) would more in Stockton and existing schedule times (including than compensate for that inconvenience. those of the ), it would take only 14 minutes more to go from Modesto to Oakland Capital funding needs for the DMU option are (9%) via the ACE route (when extended north from modest. A second platform and track at Stockton’s Fremont). Connecting service between Stockton and Cabral station would be needed, as would capacity Martinez could be provided by buses or additional improvements on the UP line between Stockton and DMU service. Sacramento. For DMU service, only minor changes would be required at the Lodi and downtown Travel times will become faster than the current San Sacramento stations. Required changes are expected Joaquin schedule as the improvements proposed to cost less than $200 million. Potential new stations below are brought into service. Connecting to the transfer stations to Sacramento’s light rail system Capitol Corridor in Fremont (Centerville) opens the could also be added incrementally. The potential for San Joaquin to the rich job market in Fremont and passenger-only track should also be pursued where the Silicon Valley, achieving many of the goals of cost-effective. ACEforward at a fraction of the cost. In TRAC’s view, this approach is far more cost-effective than the current proposal for adding “mid-route” San Joaquins starting at Merced or Fresno. It is important to note the example of “mid-route” Capitol Corridor trains operating only between Sacramento and Oakland. These trips tend to be poorly patronized compared to trains operating over the entire route between Sacramento and San Jose, with less than 100 riders on most trips. Achieving Synergy Between The Services TRAC sees tremendous potential for synergy between ACE and the San Joaquins. Combining their capital programs will allow the creation over time of an East-West Altamont route that is both much faster and much more reliable for both services, since it would be largely independent Figure 2. Projected Central Valley to Bay Area commute patterns in 2020 (from of freight traffic. Figure 2 shows Technical Memorandum, Altamont Corridor Preliminary Description, May 2009) 2 Figure 3. The Altamont and route is a high priority for cap & trade funds from the Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program, whether or not Stanislaus and Merced voters approve new taxes. (Base map: ACEforward)

TRAC recognizes that sharing track creates accounting the development of existing properties. This complexities, including the different track charges for would push the DTX aside, causing costs to soar and commute vs. intercity service. While we are unable to delaying construction by a decade or more. advise here, we believe practical solutions exist. Key Projects for Reducing Travel Times Union Pacific might well prefer providing Bay Area • Reroute ACE trains to tracks dedicated mainly access from the south, as that route is less congested. to passenger service through downtown Tracy as In the long-term, connecting the southern end of the suggested by ACEforward, stopping at the City’s San Joaquin Corridor to a transfer station in Lathrop, recently completed Multimodal Center. This would thus bypassing Stockton by Bay Area-bound San reduce line length by 2-3 miles. Joaquins, might produce travel-time savings worth considering (Lathrop-Stockton services would be • Build a tunnel near Patterson Pass. Relocate the provided by extending the Sacramento DMUs). rail line to a new passenger-only alignment that generally parallels Patterson Pass Road, from the Connecting the East Bay to the West Bay by vicinity of the Altamont Pass Wind Farm Substation conventional rail could be achieved by rebuilding the to East Livermore. This alignment would also . This would allow Central reduce line length by a few miles and allow an Valley residents to conveniently access employment immediate upgrade to 110 mph operations. It would centers in the northern Silicon Valley as well as San be compatible if a future 150 mph line was built, Francisco. bypassing Livermore and Pleasanton to the south. Extending Caltrain to the heart of downtown San • Build a tunnel in Niles Canyon through the hill Francisco (“DTX”) has also been on the Bay Area’s across from the Golden Gate Railroad agenda since the early 1990’s. DTX plans are complete Museum (Niles Canyon Railway) site. With relatively and environmental approvals have been obtained. This modest curve realignments elsewhere, the Sunol- project would benefit Altamont Corridor residents with Fremont segment could achieve much higher speeds direct service to downtown San Francisco. than allowed by current speed restrictions due to Recently however, S.F. Mayor Ed Lee has proposed curves, saving several minutes in each direction. 3 Travel times between Tracy and Fremont could be The Many Benefits of Altamont & Dumbarton Rail reduced by 25-30 minutes (approximately 40%!) once all the suggested improvements are constructed. In summary, upgrading the Altamont Corridor and Moving away from sharing track with freight will restoring service across the Dumbarton would have eliminate the reliability problems that have plagued many benefits. The corridor would: ACE. An upgraded Altamont corridor with a reopened • Serve both San Joaquin and ACE passengers with a Dumbarton route would also facilitate 110-mph shared, very fast passenger-only corridor. passenger service to San Francisco and San Mateo County in 90 minutes or less from Stockton. • Improve speeds and greatly increase ridership. The Demographics of Travel • Relieve the horrible congestion in the I-580 Corridor. This is a major interregional need. More than 90,000 residents of the San Joaquin Valley hold Bay Area jobs according to the U.S. Census. • Enable a shift to transit by large numbers of Almost all of these commuters travel in the I-580/ passengers, deserving major cap & trade funding. Altamont corridor. If Eastern from Eastern Alameda • Be a cost-conscious program with a new right-of- County are added, this figure exceeds 100,000 way and incremental speed improvements over time. jobholders, excluding those working in the East Bay. • Restoring Dumbarton Rail would allow a direct The 2007 Regional Rail Plan for the connection to San Francisco, San Mateo and northern Area, commissioned and subsequently ignored by Santa Clara Counties--with very attractive destinations. MTC, projected 60,000-70,000 daily regional rail riders via Altamont by 2040, including trips that would also • Dumbarton Rail would take pressure off BART’s use Dumbarton rail. That MTC plan also projected Transbay Tube, which is at capacity. 20,000+ regional rail riders per day across the Dumbarton Corridor between Southern Alameda and • The Caltrain Downtown Extension would allow a San Mateo Counties, mostly on extensions of Altamont direct connection to the heart of downtown S.F., a very Corridor trains. important travel destination. This estimate did not include potential ridership • This system would be extremely flexible--it could from Sacramento to San Francisco and the West Bay, provide rail transportation over conventional-gauge rail operating via Altamont and Dumbarton, and then into lines to wherever there was demand. San Francisco.

Figure 4. Example of an Estonian DMU. This Swiss design is the prototype for the TEX Rail cars. (Stadler Bussnang AG)

A PDF of this TRAC Backgrounder is available at our website, http://www.calrailnews.com.

Train Riders Association of California 1025 9th Street, Suite 223 * See Altamont_Corridor_Preliminary_Project_Description Sacramento, CA. 95814 at http://bit.ly/1Nv6BvC and Altamont_Corridor_ Newsletter_10_26_09 http://bit.ly/1PzWyET (916) 557-1667 4